Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) Guidelines
Launched on World Prematurity Day to improve care for Zambia’s vulnerable newborns.
About
Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) is a proven, low-cost, and evidence-based intervention designed to improve the survival and health outcomes of preterm and low birth weight (LBW) newborns, particularly in settings with limited access to incubators and where frequent power outages compromise conventional neonatal care. Additionally, it remains an important component of newborn care even in high-income settings.
Introduced in 1979 by Dr. Edgar Rey and Dr. Héctor Martínez in Bogotá, Colombia, KMC emerged as a practical response to overcrowded neonatal units, high rates of hospital-acquired infections, and unreliable electricity supply. The approach mimics the natural care of kangaroos for their young, emphasizing continuous skin-to-skin contact between the mother or surrogate and newborn.
